When Internet trends catch on, they catch on like wildfire, and that has been the case with the “not demure” trend over the last few weeks. The TikToker in question who created the trend has started doing so well on the platform she is going to be able to fund her gender transition, and the former trend on that platform has bled over to celebrity content in places like Instagram and Twitter. Which is why I was actually pretty excited when frequent bikini wearer and entrepreneur Emily Ratajkowski turned it on its head, though not for the reason behind why it happened.
Ratajkowski was walking down the street in a tank top when a man in the background hit her up and said, ‘Girl, put on a shirt.’ She continued walking down the street in the video, ignoring the person sharing their unsolicited advice, but later put the post on Instagram with a pretty solid clapback. In fact, in her caption she noted she's “famously not demure, famously not mindful,” effectively flipping the summer 2024 trend on its head. She threw on a little Charli XCX on in the background since it’s “Brat” summer to boot. (Though it's worth pointing out she's allegedly been having a Shaboozey summer.)
You can see the moment play out below.
Celebrities from Kim Kardashian to even Jenna Ortega on the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice press tour have been jumping on the “demure” trend, which originated on TikTok when content creator Jools Lebron mentioned being "very demure, very mindful" in a post that subsequently blew up. A few weeks later, we're basically living in the demure era. Even TV shows and other social accounts have latched on at this point, with even Bridgerton pushing Penelope and Colin into the trend. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Emily Ratajkowski, on the other hand, uses the trend to illustrate she’s a girl who’s going to go out there and where what she wants, despite the preponderance of people who seem to want to comment or take ownership over her body. She famously opened up about her experience on "Blurred Lines" after allegedly getting groped on set. She's noted previously she doesn't regret the shoot, and opened up about her take on it.
All women are objectified and sexualized to some degree, I figured, so I might as well do it on my own terms. I thought that there was power in my ability to choose to do so.
While a stranger invaded her space and time with his comment about her body, in this case she seemingly has a similar attitude, responding publicly with her "not demure" bit. Not only is it a different slant on the trend, it's also quite the takedown.
